PUFFING ACROSS THE CANADIAN ROCKY MOUNTAINS
05-06-2008
ABOARD A CLASSIC STEAM TRAIN
CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA – Train travel is popular for its own sake. But when you add to it the wild and rugged scenery of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, you have an irresistible combo.
Two distinct train journeys take vacationers through the Rockies, offering dome cars for maximum viewing. And, to make sure you don’t miss any of this captivating scenery, you’ll travel the rails by day and stay overnight at quality inns and hotels, resuming your journey next morning after a comfortable night’s rest. This flexible itinerary also provides time for excursions and side trips by road.
These inclusive “Rockies Rail Experiences” are offered by The Great Canadian Travel Company, widely recognized as North America’s foremost expert on travel to “Top of the World” destinations. It specializes in adventure-filled vacations to such northern destinations as Greenland, Iceland, Yukon and Arctic Canada, as well as to the Faroe Islands and Scotland’s Shetland Isles—and, of course, the Canadian Rockies.
It has been 50 years since steam locomotives regularly climbed through the spiral tunnels of the “Big Hill” or rattled over the massive Stoney Creek Bridge on the journey across the Rockies. The heyday of the famed Canadian Pacific passenger trains has now been recreated, the trains hauled by the pride of the CPR fleet, a 1930-built Hudson steam locomotive magnificently restored at a cost of two million dollars.
This locomotive hauls a set of comfortable day coaches with large picture windows to give a great view of the countryside—and a café bar serving refreshments. Also available are the famed 1950s-built glass-roofed “dome” cars that allow unparalleled views of mountain scenery, river canyons and wide prairies.
Calgary-Vancouver via Banff is a seven-day trip that includes a visit to the famed Chateau Lake Louise with a tour of landscapes that range from quiet meadows and misty canyons to thundering waterfalls and towering peaks (including Mount Victoria, rising to 11,250 feet). There also is a trip on the Icefield Parkway, considered one of the world’s most scenic highways, with its ever-changing views of waterfalls, emerald lakes, alpine meadows and snow-capped peaks.
After spending two nights in the Lake Louise region, it’s back on the train for the steepest part of the climb into the Rockies, reaching the Continental Divide and passing from Alberta into British Columbia. There’s a stop in Revelstoke, with access to Glacier National Park and a visit to a railway museum. An early run down to Kamloops passes Craigellachie, where the last spike was driven to complete the Trans-Continental rail link on November 7, 1885. There’s a short excursion on the “Spirit of Kamloops” heritage train before returning to Kamloops for an overnight stay.
Vancouver is still some 250 miles distant as you begin this leg of your journey that takes you along the Thompson River and Fraser River canyons. Spend time exploring Vancouver, where you’ll stay overnight (and where you’re invited to a farewell dinner). Nestled in and around the slopes of the Cascade Mountains, Vancouver was voted in 2007 one of the top three most livable cities in the world.
Vancouver-Calgary via Crowsnest also is a seven-day trip that visits Kamloops and Golden, where the train diverges from the CPR main line and follows the route of the former Kootenay Railway, south along the Columbia River Valley toward the US border. An overnight stay in Cranbrook includes dinner and period entertainment.
There is a private visit to the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel before taking the spectacular line through the Crowsnest Pass, where you’ll cross the Continental Divide. There is an optional visit to the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, it celebrates Native American culture and customs and has been used continuously for more than 5,500 years. It is one of the world’s oldest, largest and best preserved buffalo jumps known to exist.
Another highlight is the opportunity to photograph the train on the spectacular mile-long, 314-feet-high Lethbridge Trestle. The largest in North America, this amazing steel structure was completed in 1909 to replace the original wooden bridge.
End your tour at Calgary which, although very modern, still retains much of its original culture of saloons and western bars and has been dubbed “Nashville of the North.” Other sights include the glass observation deck of the Calgary Tower, Devonian Gardens, one of the world’s largest indoor gardens, and Heritage Park, which recreates 19th-century life.
Cost for either of these two train trips is US$3,995 per person coach twin share, US$4,835 per person coach single. Vista Dome class is US$4,995 twin share, US$5,835 single. Trips in 2008 are scheduled for September 27-October 3 (westbound via Banff) and October 4-10 (eastbound via Crowsnest).
The Great Canadian Travel Company is also offering a selection of other “voyages of a lifetime” by private train in Australia[Back to Press Releases Main]
